This Month’s Spotlight…Beacon School!

Hello from the Beacon students and staff. We enjoy sharing our school activities with you. Many of our classes have enjoyed fall nature walks and a trip to the Walker Pumpkin Farm near Logan. Students enjoyed picking their favorite pumpkin out of the large pumpkin patch, finding their way through a corn field maze, and going on a hay ride.

In the classrooms, many students are working on writing, reading, communication and math skills. Teachers are providing technology-rich learning environments for students with iPads and interactive eBeams to increase participation in interactive learning activities and new skill acquisition. In mid-November, Beacon School was awarded a $3000.00 Athens Foundation Grant to purchase eBeam packages for the Intermediate II and Primary II classes. The students in the Primary classes continue to enjoy learning different dance movements in the dance classes offered through the VSA Ohio Dance Grant. The students really enjoy coming to school and working with all the staff. We always seem to have an abundance of energy and happy smiles.

All students are participating in the Walk Around Ohio Program coordinated by Gloria Whipple. Our school is competing with other schools in Athens County to be the first group to finish walking the equivalent distance of the Buckeye Trail: 1,444 miles! Beacon School was a past winner of the challenge, earning $500.00 in prize money to use in purchasing adaptive physical education equipment.

In December, we are looking forward to three fun holiday activities. The ATCO Choir will be performing for us and the Ohio Valley Theater for Youths will be presenting the play The Ransom of Red Chief. Joe and Betty Edwards will again be hosting a holiday movie for all the students at Movies 10. We are especially excited about our visit from Santa on December 21st. We are all on our best behavior! On behalf of the students and staff, I would like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and Peace in the New Year.

Cathy Hunter